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2007 Vehicle Satisfaction AwardsAdditional comments regarding individual winners by AutoPacific president George Peterson: Lexus LS and BMW 7-Series Tied for AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Premium Luxury Car: "Owners of the all-new Lexus LS460 return the Lexus flagship to its accustomed place at the top of the Premium Luxury Car rankings. The new LS460 received especially high ratings from owners with respect to Quality, Reliability, Durability, Quietness, Innovative Technology and the Dealership Experience. Tied for first place was the BMW 7-Series, which received especially high ratings for being Fun-to-Drive, Handling, Braking, and Driver's Seat Comfort, but was marked down for Controls Easy to Understand and Use a reference to BMW's iDrive system, Mr. Peterson said. Jaguar X-Type Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Aspirational Luxury Car: The Jaguar X-Type was highly rated for exterior and interior appearance and on package related measures - things like passenger room, luggage room, ease of entry and egress, Peterson notes. Standard All-Wheel-Drive resulted in high ratings for Feeling Safe While Driving and Traction In All Weather Conditions. The Jaguar Dealership Experience was also highly rated." Cadillac DTS Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Large Luxury Car - Also Top-Ranked Car: "Owners particularly liked the Cadillac DTS for its package (Size, Roominess, Ease of Entry/Exit, Visibility), Exterior and Interior Style, Ride, Power/Acceleration, Innovative Technology and Warranty Coverage. This is part of the Cadillac renaissance. Hyundai Azera and Toyota Avalon Tied for AutoPacific 2007 Large Car Vehicle Satisfaction Award: Again this year, Hyundai Azera owners rated their vehicle highly for Power/Acceleration, Innovative Technology, Value and especially Warranty. Tied for a win in this segment was the Toyota Avalon which scored well for Ride, and such traditional Toyota strengths as Quality, Reliability, Durability and Anticipated Resale Value. Nissan Maxima Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Luxury Mid-Size Car: The Nissan Maxima is the top of the sedan lineup for Nissan providing Nissan buyers with high value, high feature, luxury transportation. As a car from a mainstream brand, it does battle with entries from luxury car divisions. The Nissan Maxima is highly rated for Power/Acceleration, Passenger and Cargo Capacity, and Instrument Layout/Ease of Use. Wheel and Tire Size and Appearance also received high scores?. Nissan Altima Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for premium Mid-Size Car: Owners of the all-new Nissan Altima rated their vehicle significantly higher than the segment average for both Performance and Economy (most unusual), Passenger and Luggage Room and Innovative Technology. Instrument Layout and Audio Controls were also well received. Based on owner satisfaction ratings, Altima is an easy car to live with. Saturn Aura Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Mid-Size Car: The new Saturn Aura has been well received, and has won a number of awards but the real test is in how satisfied its owners are. Owners rated the all-new Aura highly for a number of attributes, including Exterior and Interior Appearance, Value, Power, Ride, and Handling and Innovative Technology. Pretty impressive for a new entry! Audi A3 Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Image Compact Car: The key to success among Image Compact Cars is the "grin factor". The Audi A3 delivers. As might be expected, Audi A3 owners score their vehicle substantially higher for Exterior and Interior Styling, Handling, and being Fun-to-Drive. Instrument Layout and the Feel of Quality associated with the controls were also highly rated. Pontiac G5 Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Compact Car: To win the Compact Car race, a vehicle has to deliver on a wide range of product attributes plus be economical to own and operate. Pontiac G5 owners rated their vehicle highly for Exterior and Interior Appearance, Image, Ride, and Fuel Economy, all attributes important to Compact Car buyers. Honda Fit Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Economy Car: "The Economy Car category has added several new entries over the past year. The owners of the all-new Honda Fit are well pleased with the Size (exterior and interior) of this small car. They like the Performance, Ride and Handling. Perhaps the sportiest of the Economy Car class, owners rate the Fit strongly as Fun-to-Drive. They believe their car will have a good Resale Value, and consider the Fit Good Value. Lexus SC Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Premium Sports Car: "The retractable hardtop Lexus SC won its category by a wide margin. Buyers are particularly pleased with the SC's Interior Appearance including Quality of Fabrics and Materials, Quality, Quietness, and Reliability/Dependability. Porsche Boxster Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Sports Car: "Sports cars are supposed to be exhilarating to drive, but sometimes difficult to live with. Owners of the Porsche Boxster indicate it delivers on exhilarating, but is not difficult to live with. Boxster owners rated their car highly for Power/Acceleration and Braking. But what might not be expected is that (relative to other vehicles in the segment) the Boxster was well rated for Cargo Space/Capacity, Cupholders (yes, cupholders!), and Interior Storage. Somebody in Stuttgart is listening! Scion tC Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Sporty Car: "The sporty car entry from Toyota's Scion brand turns in a class-winning performance in its second year in our VSA research. Scion tC buyers rated their vehicle highly for Seating Capacity, Rear Seat Comfort, Operating Costs in general, and Fuel Economy specifically. Chevrolet Silverado Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Large Light-Duty Pickup Trucks: The all-new Chevrolet Silverado wins among Large Light Duty Pickups. When you analyze Silverado's win, it seems like Silverado product planners set out beat competition by a nose across the board. Silverado won in its segment, over stiff competition, by a small margin on each of a large number of attributes, specifically including Warranty. Chevrolet Silverado Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Large Heavy-Duty Pickup Trucks: The hardcore portion of the Full-Size Pickup market is the heavy duties. It takes a very capable truck to win in the heavy-duty category. Silverado HD owners rated their pickup highly on such important attributes as Power/Acceleration, Fuel Economy, Quietness, and Warranty. It was above the segment average in all of the 46 attributes rated. Ford Explorer Sport Trac Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Compact Pickup Trucks:? Rear Seat Comfort and Overall Seating Capacity are Sport Trac strengths. Exterior and Interior Styling and Ride were also rated highly by Sport Trac owners. The availability of a V8 engine helped secure a high Power/Acceleration rating compared to others in the segment. Nissan Quest Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Minivans: Perhaps the most controversial entry in the conservative Minivan market, Quest is a love-it or hate-it affair. Clearly, Quest owners love it. Quest owners find their vehicles to be Fun-to-Drive (at least relative to the other vehicles in the segment), and they rate Power/Acceleration highly. Quest ratings for Entry and Exit are excellent. Showing that they were looking for something different, owners rate Image higher than other vehicles in the Minivan segment. Lincoln Navigator Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Luxury Sport Utility: "The Lincoln Navigator received a major styling update for 2007. The changes to the Navigator were enough to yield the highest satisfaction ratings in the Luxury SUV class. Once again, the Navigator is an AutoPacific VSA award winner. There is some tough competition in this segment, but the Navigator was favorably rated for several attributes, including Quietness, and Wheel and Tire Size and Appearance. GMC Yukon XL Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Large Sport Utility Vehicles: Yukon XL owners rated their Large SUV highly for Power/Acceleration, and Durability (both traditional Yukon XL strengths), and Overall Quality. Perhaps just as important, the only area where the Yukon XL was rated significantly below the segment average was Cupholder Design and Size. Pretty impressive, given that there are 46 attributes measured! Toyota 4Runner Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicles: "Owner ratings suggest that the 4Runner has a lot of strengths, and few weaknesses. It was rated highly for Quality, Reliability and Durability, but it also rated well for both Power/Acceleration and Fuel Economy. In none of the 46 attributes studied was the 4Runner below segment average. Pretty impressive! Toyota FJ Cruiser Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Compact SUV/Off-Road Vehicle: The all-new Toyota FJ Cruiser is one of the most personality-driven, distinctively-styled vehicles introduced for 2007. But styling isn't the only thing FJ Cruiser has going for it. Toyota FJ Cruiser owners rated the new FJ highly for Quality, Reliability and Durability. Power/Acceleration was also highly rated. The only area of significant dissatisfaction was Visibility from the Driver's Seat, a well known FJ characteristic. Lincoln MKX Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Luxury Crossover SUV: A new entry in a new segment, the Lincoln MKX scored well. Very well. It fact it was the highest scoring truck in the industry. MKX strengths include high ratings for Value, a Flexible/Changeable Interior, Vehicle and Audio Controls, Cupholders, Wheels/Tire Size and Appearance, and Quietness. The Dealership Experience also received a high rating. Looks like a good start for the new Lincoln Crossover. The Ford Division companion Crossover SUV to the Lincoln MKX also won its class. Clearly, Ford successfully designed for their target buyers. Ford Edge and Hyundai Santa Fe tie for AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV: The Ford Edge is a new entry and was rated highly for Exterior Appearance, Image, and Quietness. The Dealership Experience was also rated well. The Hyundai Santa Fe is all new for 2007, and their owners rated the vehicle higher than segment average for Warranty (something for which Hyundai is well known), Cupholder Design and Size, Audio Controls, Interior Storage Compartments, and Value. The Santa Fe has been a perennial AutoPacific VSA Award Winner. Honda CR-V Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Mid-Size Crossover SUV: The all-new Honda CR-V is a segment winner primarily based on Overall Quality and Overall Satisfaction. While there few attributes where the CR-V soundly beat the segment average, (Brand Reputation was very strong) there were no areas where the CR-V was rated below average. They won by making the fewest mistakes! A defensive strategy, but it works! The fact that the CR-V is the only Crossover SUV in its class without a V6 engine available apparently did not hurt its performance much. Hyundai Tucson Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Compact Crossover SUV: The owners of the Hyundai Tucson out-pointed its competition in Vehicle Satisfaction ratings but the Hyundai Warranty was the one attribute that vaulted Tucson to the top of its class. The Tucson is a very competitive Compact Crossover SUV and is available with a V6 engine - a rarity in this class.? But it was the Warranty and not the engine that powered the Tucson to victory. Home More AutoPacific News Stories Search News Story Submissions |
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